Spill clean up material and pet litter, and methods of making and using same

ABSTRACT

An improved material and process for decontaminating an organic chemical spill and animal waste is made by: partially composting plant material; adding spent mushroom compost; mixing some of the partially composted plant material with the dry plant material; inoculating the mixture with a small amount a petroleum hydrocarbon; adding iron sulfate, ammonium nitrate, or a mixture of iron sulfate and ammonium nitrate; adding water; and adding a clump preventing material. A nutrient may also be added to this mixture. The final product is mixed with the spilled organic chemical and allowed to incubate for a suitable time at ambient temperature. A similar material may be used as a pet litter.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(1) Field of the Invention

The present invention relates the field of spill clean-up and morespecifically to the bioremediation of unwanted chemical substances, suchas petroleum hydrocarbons, which have been spilled onto the ground. Thepresent invention also relates to the field of absorption andneutralization of animal waste.

(2) Description of the Related Art

Certain agricultural soils, especially in the south, have grown cropsalmost continuously for more than 100 years. Such soils are now very lowin organic matter content and are therefore generally infested with soilborne plant pathogenic fungi represented by the fungal speciesRhizoctonia, Pythium and Fusarium among others (Crawford, J. L. 1975.Plant Disease Reporter, 56:373). Such soils are said to be “conducive”to plant disease causing agents. Experience teaches that such soils lowin organic matter remain conducive to plant disease causing agentsunless they are amended with a high nitrogen to carbon ratio plantcompost material as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,164,405 and 4,229,442,issued to Pinckard, Aug. 14, 1979 and Oct. 21, 1980, respectively. Soilsthat have been cleansed of plant disease causing agents are said to bemade “suppressive”. More specifically such soils are also said to be“remediated” although the term currently refers to soils cleansed ofunwanted chemical substances.

The Pinckard patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,164,405, p. 5, lines 13-15, states,“Organic type insecticidal poisons such as toxaphene, DDT, dieldrin oraldrin originally applied to the growing crop are removed”. In thatstatement Pinckard was referring to the insecticidal residues remainingon the cotton crop waste after it had been separated from the seed andlint by the gin and before the plant material had been composted orotherwise disposed of.

While using multi-ton quantities of the above described compost forcleansing field crop soils that contained, in addition to plant diseasecausing agents, 200 ppm of DDT and its isomers, a large pile was left ona garden soil for several weeks before being scattered on the garden.While digging into the soil-compost mix Pinckard observed the mix wasinhabited by earthworms which are known to be sensitive to thechlorinated aromatic hydrocarbon pesticides. Later tests demonstratedthat soils contaminated with several unwanted chemical substances,including soil home plant pathogens, could be cleansed, or remediated,by mixing with composted (treated) cotton gin waste (or trash) and thatthe same result could be obtained with composted alfalfa hay but notwith cereal straw or common suburban leaf litter. The difference betweenthe raw materials for composting appeared to be their carbon:nitrogenratios. Those organic raw materials having C:N ratios of approximately10:1 to 30:1 produced a compost suppressive of soil borne plantpathogens and at the same time, in due course, cleansed the soils ofcertain unwanted chemical entities. Further research led Pinckard toinvestigate the several well known details of the art of composting inrelation to cleansing soils of unwanted entities. These improvements aredisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,100,455, which teaches how contaminatedsoils may be cleansed with composted high nitrogen to carbon ratio plantmaterials but not with ordinary plant materials or leaf litter such ascereal straw which have C:N ratios approaching 100:1 or more.

Leaking oil and chemical storage tanks and supply lines contaminatesurrounding soils with petroleum hydrocarbons, industrial solvents andchemicals frequently harmful to man, animals and plants. Currentenvironmental regulations demand such contaminated soils either bereplaced with clean uncontaminated soil or cleansed of the contaminatingentities. Several methods have been developed for the above purpose someof which have been described in U.S. patent documents and elsewhere.

Among the first U.S. patent documents reviewed was the Gorby patent,U.S. Pat. No. 2,947,619 issued Aug. 2, 1960 disclosing a process forcomposting wastes of several kinds by repeated aeration at temperaturesof 50.degree. to 70.degree. C. and moisture contents of 40-60%. TheGorby patent while being a disclosure of the prior art bears no relationto the current invention for soil remediation.

The Varro, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,233,976, issued Feb. 8, 1966,discloses apparatus in which organic wastes are converted to fertilizerby aerobic fermentation. It is unrelated to this invention for soilremediation.

The Linn patent, U.S. Pat. No. 3,616,204, issued Oct. 26, 1971,discloses a method for soil restoration (bioremediation) aftercontamination with a petroleum hydrocarbon. The Linn patent discloses,as do several others, inoculating the contaminated soil with cultures ofidentified microorganisms known to degrade the unwanted contaminantswhile feeding such organisms appropriate nutrients under controlledlaboratory conditions or in the field. The above described approach tosoil remediation is likely to be impractical because of soil microbialcompetition as discussed by Alexander (Alexander, M. 1977. SoilMicrobiology, P. 410, “microbial competition”, John Wiley & Sons, NewYork). Many microorganisms compete with each other for nutrients, someprotecting themselves by generating antibiotics and while the abovehypothesis of soil remediation as delineated by Linn and others may beeffective in a sterile substrate it has failed in numerous non sterilesubstrates as Alexander implies and as Pinckard's experience hasconfirmed.

The Durrell U.S. Pat. No. 3,762,910, issued Oct. 2, 1973, converts plantnutrients from the passive state to an active state by composting plantmaterial in a trench. It bears no relation to soil remediation asdisclosed in the current invention.

The Varro patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,050,917, issued Sep. 27, 1977,discloses a process for composting waste in a heated environment on aseries of moving belts and bears no relation to soil remediation.

The Pinckard patents, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,164,405, issued Aug. 14, 1979,and 4,229,442, issued Oct. 21, 1980, disclosed how cotton crop waste maybe cleansed of unwanted identified plant pathogens and chlorinatedhydrocarbon insecticides by modified composting.

The Khoroshavin, et al., patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,317,670, issued Mar. 2,1982, teaches remediating industrial waste heaps by leveling,fertilizing, plowing, planting, watering and inoculating with commonsoil inhabiting fungi; nothing in this patent relates to the claims inthis invention excepting well known methods of the art.

The Norris et al. patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,849,360, issued Jul. 18, 1989,discloses use of a container for soils contaminated with petroleumhydrocarbons through which air is forced wherein soil remediationdepends upon the indigenous microflora after enrichment with phosphorusand nitrogen nutrients. A preferred embodiment comprises an open-toppedpit with an impermeable liner and gas distributing means. Contaminatedsoil is introduced into the pit and air is introduced into the gasdistributing means. Norris et al. teach sampling of the contaminatedsoil but only to determine moisture content and microbial counts beforeand after treatment.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,288,556 was issued Sep. 8, 1981 to Belloc et al. Thispatent describes a new microorganism which is capable of producing a newproteolytic enzyme. The enzyme has utility in the depilation of animalskins. In the patent, Belloc et al. describe testing the growth of themicroorganism in different culture media. All the media are differenttypes of agar (nutrient agar) and broths. Included, for example, areagar with yeast extract, oatmeal/tomato extract, and peptone/glucose.This patent describes a wholly new species. The growth media were onlyused for purposes of characterizing the new microorganism. Toextrapolate the testing results of one organism to the entire field ofcomposting is impossible.

International Patent Application No: WO 92/03393 was published Mar. 5,1992. This Application reveals compositions for and methods of degradingorganic chemicals in soil. The composition is a nutrient medium servingas a substrate for microorganisms in the soil. The nutrient medium isadded to the soil to cause proliferation of microorganisms which areeffective or which may become effective in degrading the organicchemical. Preferably the microorganisms are present in the soil, butuseful microorganisms may also be added with the nutrient medium. ThisApplication has nothing to do with composting and does not cover spillclean up using composts and perforated drums.

The Pinckard, et al. patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,100,455 issued Mar. 31,1992 discloses removal of unwanted chemicals and biological entitiesfrom soils. This is achieved by composting specifically selected plantgroups and then mixing this compost with the contaminated soil. Althoughnot specified, the compost is usually made at a site remote from thecontaminated site.

In U.S. Pat. No. 5,100,455, Pinckard also details a process forabsorbing and decontaminating a hydrocarbon or chlorinated hydrocarbonspill. The present invention is an improvement on U.S. Pat. No.5,100,455.

After reviewing the U.S. patent documents mentioned above and some ofthe current literature on bioremediation of contaminated soils it isobvious that spill clean-up as taught by U.S. Pat. No. 5,100,455 suffersfrom serious deficiencies. The microorganisms that are grown in thespecial compost are specific to the site where the compost is made.These microorganisms are different from and may indeed be antagonisticto the microorganisms found at the spill site. This leads toinefficiency in decontamination and longer decontamination times.

Pinckard et al. claim a process for absorbing and decontaminating ahydrocarbon or chlorinated hydrocarbon spill comprising the steps of:composting plant material having a carbon:nitrogen ratio of 10:1 to30:1; mixing the compost with about an equal volume of sawdust to forman absorbent; mixing the absorbent with up to 20% by volume of spilledhydrocarbon or chlorinated hydrocarbon; and allowing the mixture tostand for a suitable time at ambient temperature until the hydrocarbonor chlorinated hydrocarbon is decontaminated. The hydrocarbon orchlorinated hydrocarbon may be diesel fuel, oil, gasoline, aviationfuel, paint solvent, or trichloroethylene. The preferred addition ratiois about 50 ppm based on dry weight of the plant material.

Their invention takes advantage of the fact that certain microorganismscan digest toxicants and that the growth of such microorganisms can beencouraged by addition to the growth medium of small amounts oftoxicants.

When compost, manufactured following the teachings of Pinckard et al.,is used for spill clean-up, the growth of microorganisms that can digestthe contaminants is encouraged. These microorganisms then digest thecontaminants until the soil is cleansed of the contaminants. Pinckard etal. state: “Well known to microbiologists is the principle that somemicroorganisms will adapt to increasing concentrations of a specifictoxicant if introduced to low dosages.” This means that microorganismswill adapt to digest large quantities of specific chemicals if there isa low concentration of these chemicals in the growth medium to startwith. It implies that to acclimatize microorganisms to a specificchemical one should treat the growth medium with a specific chemical. Infact that is just what Pinckard et al. teach.

What Pinckard et al. failed to recognize was that fully composted plantmaterial contains organisms adapted to digest only certain chemicals. Itwill take time for the compost to encourage growth of a colony ofspecific contaminant digesting microorganisms sufficient to completelyclean up a spill. Therefore, spill clean-up will proceed quite slowly.If, in addition, the compost contains microorganisms antagonistic to themicroorganisms that can digest the contaminants at the spill site, soilcleansing may be further slowed.

Development of a method of spill clean-up which could overcome theinefficiencies of the method taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,100,455represents a great improvement in the field of bioremediation and wouldsatisfy a long felt need of the environmental engineer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention overcomes the deficiencies of the processdisclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,100,455. The present invention provides acomposition and process for absorbing and decontaminating an organicchemical spill and; as a pet litter, absorbing and decontaminating theorganic components of animal waste.

The material for absorbing and decontaminating an organic chemical spillis a mixture of:

partially composted plant material;

spent mushroom compost;

dry plant material;

a petroleum hydrocarbon;

iron sulfate, ammonium nitrate, or mixture of iron sulfate and ammoniumnitrate; and

a clump preventing material.

The mixture may also include a nutrient.

It is typically made by:

partially composting plant material;

adding 10-20% of spent mushroom compost;

mixing approximately 80% of said partially composted plant material withapproximately 20% of dry plant material;

inoculating the mixture with about 50 to 100 parts per million by weightby weight of a petroleum hydrocarbon;

adding 100 to 200 parts per million by weight of iron sulfate, ammoniumnitrate, or a mixture of iron sulfate and ammonium nitrate;

adding water; and

adding a clump preventing material;

A nutrient may also be added to this mixture. The final product orabsorbent is mixed with the spilled organic chemical and allowed toincubate for a suitable time at ambient temperature until the organicchemical spill is neutralized.

The material for absorbing and decontaminating absorbed animal waste(pet litter) is a mixture of:

partially composted plant material;

spent mushroom compost;

dry plant material;

a petroleum hydrocarbon;

iron sulfate, ammonium nitrate, or a mixture of iron sulfate andammonium nitrate; and

a clump preventing material.

The mixture may also include a nutrient.

It is typically made by:

partially composting plant material;

adding 10-20% of spent mushroom compost;

mixing approximately 80% of the partially composted plant material withapproximately 20% of dry plant material;

inoculating the mixture with about 50 to 100 parts per million by weightby weight of a petroleum hydrocarbon;

adding water;

adding 100 to 200 parts per million by weight of iron sulfate, ammoniumnitrate, or a mixture of iron sulfate and ammonium nitrate; and

adding a clump preventing material.

A nutrient may also be added to this mixture. After the animal hasplaced its waste in the absorbent, the mixture is allowed to incubatefor a suitable time at ambient temperature until the animal waste isneutralized. Some pet litter of this invention was experimentally testedin an animal shelter and worked as well as or better than commerciallyavailable pet litters.

The plant material may be cotton, legumes, alfalfa, tomatoes, ricehulls, cotton gin trash, alfalfa hay or mixtures of these. Spentmushroom compost is the residual compost waste generated by the mushroomproduction industry.

The clump preventing material may be mill cut saw dust, vermiculite,diatomaceous earth, or mixtures of these.

The nutrient may be raw sugar or sugar beet residue.

By selecting certain plant materials, by allowing them to partiallycompost, by adding a percentage of dry plant material, by inoculatingthe mixture with a small amount of an organic chemical, and by addingnitrate and phosphate salts a biologically active absorbent isgenerated. When mixed with the spilled chemical and water, thisbiologically active absorbent will neutralize the spill.

An appreciation of the other aims and objectives of the presentinvention and a more complete and comprehensive understanding of it maybe achieved by studying the following description of a preferredembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In harvesting cotton, large machine pickers harvest the crop and in sodoing gather weeds, grasses, soil particles, even small rocks. The cropis then transported to a gin where the seed, fiber and debris areseparated. The debris or waste, also known as trash, was at one timeincinerated but now is accumulated during the harvest season and usuallydisposed of in dumps and land fills because it contains pesticidalresidues.

Cotton gin trash is unique; for years the cotton crop has been sprayedand dusted with pesticides, defoliants and harvest aid chemicalformulated from xenobiotic chemicals, oils and industrial solventscontaminating both the crop residue and soil. The soil microflora andfauna, being repeatedly exposed to low dosages of such chemicals, areknown to adapt to and utilize these carboniferous compounds,transforming several insecticides such as DDT to end products harmlessto soil inhabiting earthworms and fungus gnats.

Before soil bioremediation can proceed a special compost must beprepared. For ease of manufacture and to take advantage of economies ofscale, the compost is typically prepared at a site remote from thecontaminated site. The dry waste from the gin is arranged in windrows ofindefinite lengths 2 to 12 feet wide and 1 to 4 feet high, butpreferably 6 to 8 feet wide and 2 to 3 feet high to accommodatepractical materials handling equipment.

The preferred method of composting is to mix, move or turn the mass withappropriate materials handling equipment to allow air penetration and toavoid over-heating. Repeated applications of water, with repeated mixingshould be continued at weekly intervals, more or less, until theindividual plant parts such as bracts, seed and stem material are nolonger easily identified; the time required being approximately threemonths in early spring weather, less in mid-summer and more in winter.

The special oxidative microflora and microfauna present in the highnitrogen to carbon plant materials used for bioremediation have beenpartially identified. However, they represent only a very small numberof the total kinds and numbers of microorganisms known to be present.The humic end product brought in intimate contact with the contaminatedsoil normally contains totals of at least 1.times.10.sup.8 individualsper gram of compost. Of the many genera present the following have beententatively identified: Achromobacter, Proteus, Arthrobacter,Pseudomonas, Aspergillus, Pythium, Azotobacter, Rhizotonia, Bacillus,Rhizopus, Cunninghamella, Saccharomyces, Fusarium, Sclerotium, Mucor,Streptomyces, Norcordia, Trichoderma, Penicillium, Verticillium,Phanerochete, and Xanthomonas.

In addition to the above named organisms, also present were numerouskinds of free living nematodes, protozoa, algae, yeasts, mites and thelarvae of the fungus gnat (Sciara, family Mycetophylidae). Degradationof the raw plant material starts with invasion of the “opportunistic”fungi, Rhizopus, Mucor, Aspergillus and Penicillium, among others. Thesefungi are followed by Sciara, the bacteria, nematodes, protozoa andalgae. A small group of Basidiomycetes representing the fleshy fungiappear next. Finally the Actinomycetes and Pseudomonas species, amongothers, dominate the composted humic substance.

During the decomposition of plant materials the above ecologicalsuccession of microbial inhabitants mutually support and compete witheach other and in so doing transform a large number of complex organiccarbon bearing chemical substances into harmless end products supportiveto higher plant life. The process includes mineralization of the carbonin the contaminating compounds or degradation by co-metabolism, or both,induced by the microbial consortia occupying the composted plantmaterial.

A leguminous crop or other similar plant, such as rice hulls, may besubstituted for the cotton crop, or its residue, cotton gin trash. Forbioremediation of soils to be successful, within reasonable timeperiods, it is essential that the oxidative microflora, naturallypresent in and on the plant materials, be encouraged to increase in bothkinds and numbers and that they must be sustained for long periods oftime, an example being 3 or 4 months.

The above procedure is intended to increase the kinds and numbers ofoxidative microorganisms in the original plant remains, and to increaseand to condition or acclimatize them to accept and degrade the unwantedcontaminants present at the contaminated site. Residues of DDT, dieldrinand toxaphene as well as other aliphatic and aromatic compounds such asthe petroleum hydrocarbons and industrial solvents are remediated by thepresent invention.

The inventor's prior U.S. Pat. No. 5,609,668 discloses an improvedprocess for absorbing and decontaminating an organic chemical spillcomprising the steps of: partially composting plant material; mixingapproximately 80% by weight of the partially composted plant materialwith approximately 20% by weight of dry plant material; inoculating themixture with about 50 to 100 parts per million by weight by weight of anorganic chemical to form an absorbent; mixing the absorbent with about20% by weight to 40% by weight by volume of spilled organic chemical;adding water; and allowing the mixture to incubate for a suitable timeat ambient temperature until the organic chemical spill is neutralized.The plant material may be cotton gin trash or alfalfa hay; or cotton,legumes, alfalfa, tomatoes or their mixtures. The mixture of absorbentand spilled organic chemical may allowed to incubate in a perforateddrum with a lid.

The instant invention is an improvement on the Pinckard et al. inventionand the inventor's prior invention. The instant invention provides aprocess for absorbing chemicals spilled on a hard surface. The key tothis modification is to provide a biologically active material that willabsorb and then biologically neutralize the spilled chemical. Theabsorbent is made by obtaining the dry plant materials described above,allowing them to partially compost, adding about 20% by weight of dryplant material, inoculating the mixture with about 50 to 100 parts permillion by weight by weight of an organic chemical, and adding nitrateand sulfate salts.

Partial composting is defined as allowing the composting process tocontinue, as described above, until some of the individual plant panssuch as bracts, seed and stem material can still be identified.

Spent mushroom compost is the residual compost waste generated by themushroom production industry. It is readily available (bagged, atnursery suppliers), and its formulation generally consists of acombination of wheat straw, dried blood, horse manure and ground chalk,composted together. It is an excellent source of humus, although much ofits nitrogen content will have been used up by the composting andgrowing mushrooms. It remains, however, a good source of generalnutrients (0.7% by weight N, 0.3% by weight P, 0.3% by weight K plus afull range of trace elements), as well as a useful soil conditioner.However, due to its chalk content, it may be alkaline.

The material for absorbing and decontaminating an organic chemical spillis a mixture of:

partially composted plant material;

spent mushroom compost;

dry plant material;

a petroleum hydrocarbon;

iron sulfate, ammonium nitrate, or mixture of iron sulfate and ammoniumnitrate; and

a clump preventing material.

The mixture may also include a nutrient.

It is typically made by:

partially composting plant material;

adding 10-20% by weight of spent mushroom compost;

mixing approximately 80% by weight of said partially composted plantmaterial with approximately 20% by weight of dry plant material;

inoculating the mixture with about 50 to 100 parts per million by weightby weight of a petroleum hydrocarbon;

adding 100 to 200 parts per million by weight of iron sulfate, ammoniumnitrate; or a mixture of iron sulfate and ammonium nitrate;

adding water; and adding a clump preventing material;

A nutrient may also be added to this mixture. The final product orabsorbent is mixed with the spilled organic chemical and allowed toincubate for a suitable time at ambient temperature until the organicchemical spilt is neutralized.

The plant material may be cotton, legumes, alfalfa, tomatoes, ricehulls, cotton gin trash, alfalfa hay or mixtures of these.

The clump preventing material may be mill cut saw dust, vermiculite,diatomaceous earth, or mixtures of these.

The nutrient may be raw sugar or sugar beet residue.

When mixed with the spilled chemical and some water, this biologicallyactive absorbent will neutralize the spill in a manner similar to thatdescribed for soil remediation above. If desired, the absorbent and thespilled chemical can be placed in a perforated drum, with a lid, forincubation.

Nowhere in the Pinckard et al. patent is use of a perforated drum with alid disclosed for containing spill clean up materials. Pinckard et al.do mention “materials handling equipment” but it is quite clear fromcontext that Pinckard et al. are talking about mixing windrows ofcompost. What Pinckard et al. are talking about are bulldozers andsimilar equipment not perforated drums.

It can be seen from the above that the Applicant's current invention isa distinct improvement on the Pinckard et al. invention in that itprovides for more rapid spill clean-up. Also, the Applicant's inventionsolves problems not recognized in the Pinckard et al. invention. Theseproblems are: 1) that the compost may not contain microorganisms capableof digesting the spilled contaminant and 2) the compost may containmicroorganisms actually antagonistic to the contaminant digestingmicroorganism.

The material for absorbing and decontaminating animal waste (pet litter)is a mixture of:

partially composted plant material;

spent mushroom compost;

dry plant material;

a petroleum hydrocarbon;

iron sulfate, ammonium nitrate, or a mixture of iron sulfate andammonium nitrate; and

a clump preventing material.

The mixture may also include a nutrient.

It is typically made by:

partially composting plant material;

adding 10-20% by weight of spent mushroom compost;

mixing approximately 80% by weight of the partially composted plantmaterial with approximately 20% by weight of dry plant material;

inoculating the mixture with about 50 to 100 parts per million by weightby weight of a petroleum hydrocarbon;

adding water;

adding 100 to 200 parts per million by weight of iron sulfate, ammoniumnitrate, or a mixture of iron sulfate and ammonium nitrate; and

adding a clump preventing material.

A nutrient may also be added to this mixture. After the animal hasplaced its waste in the absorbent, the mixture is allowed to incubatefor a suitable time at ambient temperature until the animal waste isneutralized.

The plant material may be cotton, legumes, alfalfa, tomatoes, ricehulls, cotton gin trash, alfalfa hay or mixtures of these.

The clump preventing material may be mill cut saw dust, vermiculite,diatomaceous earth, or mixtures of these.

The nutrient may be raw sugar or sugar beet residue.

The invention has been described with reference to a particularembodiment. However, it should be obvious to those skilled in the art towhich this invention pertains that other modifications and enhancementscan be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimsthat follow.

What is claimed is:
 1. A process for absorbing and decontaminating anorganic chemical spill comprising the steps of: a) partially compostingplant material; b) adding 10-20% of spent mushroom compost; c) mixingapproximately 80% of said partially composted plant material withapproximately 20% of dry plant material; d) inoculating the mixture withabout 50 to 100 parts per million by weight of a petroleum hydrocarbonto form an absorbent; e) adding one of 100 to 200 parts per million byweight of iron sulfate, ammonium nitrate, and a mixture of iron sulfateand ammonium nitrate; f) adding water; g) adding a clump preventingmaterial to said absorbent; h) mixing said absorbent with said spilledorganic chemical; and i) allowing the mixture to incubate for a suitabletime at ambient temperature until said organic chemical spill isneutralized.
 2. The process of claim 1 in which said plant material isselected from the group consisting of cotton, legumes, alfalfa,tomatoes, rice hulls; cotton gin trash, alfalfa hay and their mixtures.3. The process of claim 1 in which said spilled organic chemical isselected from the group consisting of diesel fuel, oil, gasoline,aviation fuel, paint solvent, trichloroethylene and their mixtures. 4.The process of claim 1 in which the mixture of said absorbent and saidspilled organic chemical is allowed to incubate in a perforated drumwith a lid.
 5. The process of claim 1 in which said clump preventingmaterial is selected from the group comprising mill cut saw dust,vermiculite, a diatomaceous earth, and mixtures thereof.
 6. The processof claim 5 further comprising the addition of a nutrient to saidmixture.
 7. The process of claim 6 in which said nutrient is selectedfrom the group comprising raw sugar and sugar beet residue.
 8. Theprocess of claim 1 in which said mixture is allowed to incubate in aperforated drum with a lid.
 9. A material for absorbing anddecontaminating an organic chemical spill comprising a mixture of: a)partially composted plant material; b) spent mushroom compost; c) dryplant material; d) a petroleum hydrocarbon; e) one of iron sulfate,ammonium nitrate, and a mixture of iron sulfate and ammonium nitrate;and f) a clump preventing material.
 10. The material of claim 9 in whichsaid plant material is selected from the group consisting of cotton,legumes, alfalfa, tomatoes, rice hulls, cotton gin trash, alfalfa hay,and their mixtures.
 11. The material of claim 9 in which said organicchemical is selected from the group consisting of diesel fuel, oil,gasoline, aviation fuel, paint solvent, trichloroethylene and theirmixtures.
 12. The material of claim 9 in which said clump preventingmaterial is selected from the group comprising mill cut saw dust,vermiculite, a diatomaceous earth, and mixtures thereof.
 13. Thematerial of claim 9 further comprising a nutrient.
 14. The material ofclaim 13 in which said nutrient is selected from the group comprisingraw sugar and sugar beet residue.
 15. A process for absorbing anddecontaminating animal waste comprising the steps of a) partiallycomposting plant material; b) adding 10-20% of spent mushroom compost;c) mixing approximately 80% of said partially composted plant materialwith approximately 20% of dry plant material; d) inoculating the mixturewith about 50 to 100 parts per million by weight of a petroleumhydrocarbon to form an absorbent; e) adding water; f) adding one of 100to 200 parts per million by weight of iron sulfate, ammonium nitrate,and a mixture of iron sulfate and ammonium nitrate; g) adding a clumppreventing material to said absorbent; and h) allowing the mixture toincubate for a suitable time at ambient temperature until said animalwaste is neutralized.
 16. The process of claim 15 in which said plantmaterial is selected from the group consisting of cotton, legumes,alfalfa, tomatoes, rice hulls; cotton gin trash, alfalfa hay and theirmixtures.
 17. The process of claim 15 in which said clump preventingmaterial is selected from the group comprising mill cut saw dust,vermiculite, a diatomaceous earth, and mixtures thereof.
 18. The processof claim 15 further comprising the addition of a nutrient to saidmixture.
 19. The process of claim 18 in which said nutrient is selectedfrom the group comprising raw sugar and sugar beet residue.
 20. Amaterial for absorbing and decontaminating animal waste comprising amixture of: a) partially composted plant material; b) spent mushroomcompost; c) dry plant material; d) a petroleum hydrocarbon; e) one ofiron sulfate, ammonium nitrate, and a mixture of iron sulfate andammonium nitrate; and f) a clump preventing material.
 21. The materialof claim 20 in which said plant material is selected from the groupconsisting of cotton, legumes, alfalfa, tomatoes, rice hulls, cotton gintrash, alfalfa hay and their mixtures.
 22. The material of claim 20 inwhich said clump preventing material is selected from the groupcomprising mill cut saw dust, vermiculite, a diatomaceous earth, andmixtures thereof.
 23. The material of claim 20 further comprising anutrient.
 24. The material of claim 23 in which said nutrient isselected from the group comprising raw sugar and sugar beet residue.